Local protesters gather outside Rochester's federal building Friday to voice dissent over President Trump's Jerusalem declaration earlier in the week.(Photo: Will Cleveland/@WillCleveland13/Staff photographer)Buy Photo

Friday, about 100 protesters gathered in front of Rochester's Kenneth B. Keating Federal Building to voice their displeasure and frustration with Trump's declaration.

"I am so happy to be here and we have a good number of people across all faiths here," said Basem Ashkar, protest organizer and a Rochester resident. "We have Christian, and Muslim, and Jew. I am very proud of them. They are nice people. We are all here to support the peace and justice for all, especially between Palestinians and Israelis."

Trump's proclamation steered away from years of United States diplomacy that recognized Tel Aviv as the capital of Israel and went against policy that has long been that the ancient city's status should be settled through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The United States will begin the lengthy process of moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Trump announced.

Jerusalem is a major point in controversy: While Israel sees Jerusalem as its undivided, "eternal" capital, the Palestinians also claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and no other country has its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem. Israel captured east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it.

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Basem Ashkar, protest organizer, and Nate Baldo are two of the 100 protesters in Rochester Friday.(Photo: Will Cleveland/@WillCleveland13/Staff photographer)

Ashkar said he wanted to send a message to lawmakers in Washington.

"We're not happy with the president's decision, because that decision doesn't resolve any problems," he said. "It makes more problems. Really as a Palestinian, we were so happy and we thought that peace was coming to us. We were willing, for many years even, to sit with the Israelis.

"We believe Jerusalem is a holy city. It is the capital for Palestine for many, many years. That city should stay open to all religions. Everybody has a right to go and pray."

In his address from the White House Wednesday, Trump signaled to the Arab world that he remains committed to the Middle East peace process. Trump said he's still open to a two-state solution that would have Israel and Palestine coexist as separate nations.

Ashkar, who became a U.S. citizen and has lived in Rochester for 40 years, held both a Palestinian and American flag during the protest. In the other hand, he held a sign that read, "President Trump Jerusalem Not For Sale."

"We believe that if our president is willing to make peace between Israelis and Palestinians, the best way is to end Israeli occupation completely, of all territories that have been taken since 1967," Ashkar said.

Ashkar said Trump made a mistake, but added, "There is nothing wrong if you take it back and change it. A lot of Americans reject his ideas."

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Nate Baldo, a Rochester resident and a member of the Rochester chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, wanted to stand with members of all faiths to voice concern and displeasure.

"It's important to hold our government accountable," Baldo said. "The United States government has been deeply complicit in supporting Israeli state policies that continue to steal Palestinian land, murder innocent civilians, and erect Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian land."